Making A Difference: How One Erie-based Company Is Working To Shape Ukraine's Future

Ambassador William B. Taylor is a distinguished fellow with the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center. Prior to the Atlantic Council, Taylor was vice president, Europe and Russia at the US Institute of Peace.

From 2006 to 2009, Taylor served as the US ambassador to Ukraine and as the chargé d'affaires ad interim from 2019 to 2020 at the US embassy in Kyiv.

Beyond Ukraine, Taylor served as the special coordinator for Middle East Transitions at the US Department of State from 2011 to 2013, where he oversaw assistance and support to the Middle East during the Arab Spring—including support to Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and Syria. Prior to his tenure in the Middle East Transitions Team and Kyiv, Taylor served as the US government's representative to the Mideast Quartet from Jerusalem. From 2004 to 2005, Taylor served in Baghdad as director of the Iraq Reconstruction Office; from 2002 to 2003 he served in Kabul as coordinator of US government and international assistance to Afghanistan; and from 1992 to 2002, he served in Washington as coordinator of US government assistance to former Soviet Union countries and Eastern Europe.

Taylor holds a Bachelor of Science from the US Military Academy in West Point, New York, and a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. Taylor also served as an infantry platoon leader and combat company commander in the US Army in Vietnam and Germany.

Jim Berlin is a New York City native and University at Buffalo graduate who spent the first 20 years of his career in the trucking industry before founding Logistics Plus in 1996 with just three employees and a single $120,000 purchase order from GE Transportation. Under his leadership, the company has grown into a global logistics and supply chain provider with nearly $500 million in annual revenue, more than 2,000 customers, and 1,000 employees across 30 countries. Beyond business success, Jim has been a driving force in the revitalization of downtown Erie, Pennsylvania, including the restoration of Erie Union Station as Logistics Plus's global headquarters, helping create hundreds of quality jobs and contributing to the region's economic growth. His leadership has earned numerous honors, including Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year for Western Pennsylvania and induction into the EY Entrepreneur of the Year World Hall of Fame, while Logistics Plus has been consistently recognized as a top workplace and industry leader. Jim also serves on the Business Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.